On Thin Ice
by Casket
Summary: Sakura, a former champion Ice Skater, and an aspiring Speed Skater by the name of Sasuke find their fates crossed when they must depend upon each other for a common goal. Both are impaired by different circumstances but can they succeed together?  AU
1. Chapter 1

Not sure if people read the authors notes but this is important to read before continuing on. This is a VERY different fan fiction. AU and sort of a brain child of mine. It is sort of centered on sports and I know some people don't like sports or appreciate it, but I can understand and even take out the boring details it takes to understand any sport and just get the bare facts out. I have seen people go into to much detail and basically bore a reader to death. So basically I'll try to throw in appeal.

Lastly, sorry for the grammar. Enjoy otherwise :D! Another warning, I am not a writer by trade or talent. First story for me too!

Sakura, a former champion Ice Skater, and an aspiring Speed Skater by the name of Sasuke find their fates crossed when they must depend upon each other for a common goal. Both are impaired by different circumstances but can they succeed together? [AU]

Two black clad male figures approached the skating rink, nearly identical if it were not for one having a long dark pony tail sticking from one of the helmets they both wore. On each shoulder and on the back was the proud emblem of the Uchiwa, only the finest of Uchiha athletes got to wear it with pride. Upon their arrival were shouts and jeers from the crowd who came to watch the rare event of the two brothers race together in an official race. The younger one, missing the pony tail, worked hard to get as far as he did, to be professional level and to get on the same race ice as his older sibling. Two other racers joined the two finely honed Uchiha speed skaters, but they all knew the crowd was mostly excited to see the two brothers officially race together. Each racer took their marks at the starting line, holding it like a long held breath till the gun fired to signal the start of the race.

Instantly the eldest, Itachi, sprung forward and head the pack, truly his style and technique off the line was one to admire and made others near by look like amateurs. Sasuke, the youngest, pumped his legs quick and for the most part took up the second held place after bobbling and out maneuvering a fellow racer along the corner of the short track rink. Inky black eyes peered out from the clear Oakley sport lenses to spy his older brothers progress in the race, He seemed so close but yet so far ahead. Feeling the competitive drive, he pushed his legs to new levels just to get faster, to catch up! At 35 miles per hour, doing one-eighty hair pin turns, the race was in its full swing and Sasuke got closer and closer, ignoring the burn in his muscles and the laboring wheezing of his breath, he could only envision his skates passing that line before his brothers.

Sasuke's skates snagged a rook in the otherwise smooth ice and lost control along the straight away of the race track and collided with the ice, he would slid along his side motionlessly knowing it was fruitless getting up with his exhausted legs. A loud echoing 'oooo' sounded from all along the crowd which quickly mixed with cries of panic and gasps as a fellow speeder was unable to avoid the fallen Uchiha in time and joined him on the ice. Sasuke felt a sneering pain rocket through his lower leg but his attention did not follow with the injury or a second initial collision that would happen when the pair eventually slid into the cushioning walls of the rink, no... they followed the Uchiwa fan on his brothers back and the pony tail that seemingly was waving him goodbye.

This event would change Sasuke's life forever.

He would return to the rink daily during his recovery eying the ice, watching his so call friends he had who he practiced with till he was deemed recovered, even then the prognosis of his injury was dark, it was not likely he could return to top shape but the young man of eighteen ignored the doctors and kept his eyes on his goal that did not change. With a missing chunk missing from his leg which had taken some muscle and left a ugly, deformed scar upon his otherwise perfect athletic figure. He had his fans still, the girls his age mostly but the sport still sought out Itachi to be a headliner as the icon for the sport itself, not just for fire country. When anybody thought of Speed Skating around the world, they envision Itachi and his signature ponytail sticking from his helmet and the Uchiwa emblem of the family which seemed to breed champions. Itachi broke world records, showed poise which made him admired by all as a champion of all sorts of races of various lengths in distances.

To Sasuke, Itachi was unbeatable and perfect, a god. He was named by the media as the Prince of Speed Skating of the likes which only one other figure seemed to hold any sort of title for the sport: The Yellow Flash of a generation ago. Itachi got his Olympic gold medals, swept all the races he ever entered for all the offered lengths of distances: the 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000, meters. He awed all as being the sports progeny. Sasuke got media exposure by being a Uchiha, but in the shadows who showed the same sort of promise for success, he won the same sort of lower level championships his brother had won only a few years earlier, and seemed to show the same sort of ease while doing so. After the incident however, he was dubbed as the Fallen Prince.

Their family had a long tradition of Olympic champions, dating to the beginning of such games a good hundred and fifty years in whatever sport they took on. The brothers parents were Olympic Champions in their own right, Their mother Mikoto was an ice dancing champion. Her grace and beauty carried over into her life as a mother as if it was innate and natural. Their father Fugaku was captain of the famous Hockey team who beat the undefeated and seemingly unbeatable Hockey team of Snow Country twenty years ago. Both parents took on to being coaches for their sports, but the families real business was to continue this tradition. It only seemed natural in this era that the same family had their endless Olympic champions when they owned the largest sports plex in the modern world. All sports were practiced and coached by their experts in this up to date, modern facility.

This brings Sasuke to where he was now, sitting in the stands observing the practice while he was lacing up his skates for the first time in months. Next to him was his overly concerned but encouraging friend Naruto. They have been friends since they were in diapers, so Sasuke knew how to tune out his loud friend when he got to obnoxious about his ramen obsession and boobs. "Let's go dobe."

The two walked onto the ice in their admirably skin tight body suits, wearing it as if it was a natural skin of theirs. The girls that were getting off the ice and stuck around to observe not just their skills- what else would teenage girls look at in such situations? Sasuke ignored the stares and whispers, its no secret what his prognosis for his injury was but he wanted to prove it wrong.

The youth Speed skating team was coached by the Yellow Flash, Narutos father, and the practice and warm up was going fine for Sasuke till he and the others took to the line to start a race. At first Sasuke blamed his lack of conditioning and practice for his inability to launch fast enough off the line to be competitive on the track, but soon it became apparent over a series of weeks he had just not the physical ability anymore... the prognosis was as serious as it was thought for his career.

After one practice race, Sasuke skated to the exit early after one (normal) terrible start off the line durring practice and walked into the locker rooms, by passing all the usual fangirls of his and closed himself off into his personal locker room with a visibly upset aura. One red headed girl kept on his tail and approached him with a sultry roll of her hips. "Sasuke-kun..." she murr murred. She was another speed skater, all geared up still in her skin tight suit, much like the male. But he was busy punching a near by locker to notice.

"Karin..." He responded while pulling his fist from an indented metal locker and whipped around to face her.

"I know you are upset...it isn't your fau-"

"you know nothing, Karin." She advanced upon him and wrapped her arms around his neck loosely, toying with the zipper that started behind his neck. She held her smirk as she slowly tugged down the zipper while her hips seemed to have glued themselves to his to make emphasis on her point.

"Instead of taking it out on the locker, why not on me?" She couldn't help but giggle sweetly at how Sasuke seemed to have seriously thought of the proposition, when he did not show resistance in more of her advances, she had her answer.

First she took off his skates for him, pealed off the body suit in a rough manor and allowed him to do the same for her. They meandered into the adjoining shower where he roughly took her against the shower wall, she enjoyed every moment of it as her wet hair stuck to her body, and to the way the cold tiles felt in contrast to how hot he felt inside her. Sasuke's frustrations were spent roughly pounding into the girl, and she wasn't to bad looking anyways but she was merely a willing participant. Sasuke was ruthless, young, and arrogant... he was also hedonistic in everything he did. The water rippled over the muscles of his athletic form while he pushed her by the thighs against the wall of the shower, only then he had full access to the deepest of her depths.

Eventually he found himself at his end. He pulled out from her and released himself upon her stomach and chest with a final moan. Sasuke let go of her and she wobbled to the floor of the shower where she licked him clean as if she were worshiping him, and begging for more. He pulled away from her when he noticed the time and walked out of the shower with a towel to dry off with.

Sasuke quickly threw on some street clothes from his bag. "I got to go." He announced when Karin questioned where he was going and left unceremoniously and obviously distracted by his next scheduled event for the day.

He left her there after that, grabbing his keys, bag and everything he used stuffed inside of it. Getting to his new sleek, but modest, black Volkswagen GTI He tossed his bag into the trunk and sped from the parking lot towards home. By home, it is technically a whole estate, a gated off hunk of land outside the big city of konoha where branches of his family owned mansions that were tucked away in forests or surrounded by golf courses- depending upon the mansion owners taste. This whole district was the Uchiha District, only Uchiha's lived there.

Taking the twisting roads, over scenic bridges and beautiful lakes, he reached his families place and parked along the wrap around driveway. The moment he entered he was ushered to the dinning table where his mother and father were waiting for their two children to arrive. "Hello, Sasuke-chan." Came Mikoto's warm voice as she went and hugged her youngest son and Fugaku merely nodded his greeting. The three sat down and waited for Itachi to arrive while Mikoto spoke to Sasuke. She basically was asking him how practice went where he sharply told her it was the same as always, it was a little fib but she knew better than that, she can read when he son was frustrated and faced up to the facts of his condition.

A servant announced that Itachi arrived and Fugaku mumbled something along the lines of 'finally'. Mikoto stressed the importance of family dinners and didn't want to eat with out everyone present. Itachi finally made it to the room and sat down after apologizing for being late with a smile on his face. Both Sasuke and father looked at Itachi strangely before diving into their food.

Near the end of the meal, Itachi took his fork and dinged it against the glass he had and stood up.

"I have an announcement to make." This made everyone at the table look up to him from their meals. "I got my acceptance into the School of my choice. I'm going to retire from Speed Skating and move into my dorm later this week." Mikoto seemed excited for her son and smiled brightly as any proud parent would. Sasuke's eyes were down at his plate where he toyed with his food. Fugaku was calm, but he had a pressing question.

"is it what we discussed? Cambridge, right?"

Itachi didn't pause but he put the letter from his hind pocket onto the table. "No, I want to go to Meisner."

Sasuke only groaned with a hand to his forehead. This was the shit that was eventually going to hit the fan, he knew it was coming one day, and that day was today. Mikoto merely lowered her eyes, knowing she couldn't defuse this.

"Meisner? That will be a waste of money, Do you know how hard I worked to earn all that money in the trust fund?"

"I don't need your trust fund. I won the full scholarship and I got endorsements lining up..." Itachi replied calmly enough.

"I thought we were over that artistic bull crap, a real future is in business." The business of taking over when Mikoto and Fugaku wanted to retire, the Uchiha boys knew this well.

"I don't see what is the big probl-"

"Why can't you be a good son and go to a normal University and get your B.A in anything that will actually help you in the future?" He rose his voice. "I will not have you rebel now..."

"You have Sasuke now." This is when Sasuke's fork stopped pushing things on his plate and he looked right to his father with a blink of cluelessness as to where Itachi was going with the argument.

That is when Fugaku went silent, his eyes narrowed threateningly, Itachi got him in a corner he didn't want to be in and Itachi was going to win this either way. "You know he can't."

"Can't what." Both Sasuke and Itachi said, though the former said it in form of a question. The younger sibling was seemingly left out of a loop that was strictly between father and eldest son.

"...The damn boy is practically crippled!"

The chair skidded against the floor of the dinning room as Sasuke suddenly stood up and the fork in Sasuke's hand dropped with a clatter to the table. The long blue-ish black bangs hid his eyes while his lips were pulled into a solid frown. By no means has anyone called him that ever, that word didn't even cross his mind! He walked quickly out of the dinning room table and went straight for the stairs where his loft of a bedroom was. He locked himself inside and blasted the heaviest of music from his sound system.

The thumping was heard through out the mansion, the three still remaining were staring at each other with nothing more to say.

"I'll be packing now." Itachi finally announced and excused himself from the table and went to his own designated part of the mansion leaving a very red faced Fugaku and teary eyed Mikoto behind.

In Sasuke's room, he had his pants leg rolled up on the right side while his fingertip fiddled with and traced the 'crippling' damage. It was no easy thing to look at but once looking at it a few times for him, he was accustomed to seeing it. He couldn't run any faster than a jog, so the sprinting needed in Speed Skating was lost... he really was a crippled speeder. As a cripple speeder, he may as well retire as well- and with out any Olympic title a traditional Uchiha inclined to sports would have. That fact was the main reason why his father couldn't expect him to be a decent replacement heir. Replacement: even that word got him angry. Was he always the plan B? Not now apparently.

His emo trip-line of thought was cut short when his music was turned off by his mother holding the remote. She had used her spare key to get in since knocking at his door would do no good, she hated having to sort to such measures though. "Sasu-chan." She said with absolute pity for what had transpired at dinner. She joined him on the bed and wrapped her arms around him but he stayed solidly to himself till after a few seconds he shrugged her off of him."He really didn't mean that, Sasu-chan."

"He is right though."

"Don't say that! You just need to find something else. You're still young." She paused. "I know it is rough with all the expectation from the family clan, and from your father specially. He wants to pass on his family business to his sons and live out his life with out care with me. Itachi is simply doing what he wants for once and your father really didn't mean what he said." She rubbed his shoulders and smiled to him. "Just don't give up."

"I want to be left alone." Was Sasuke's quick and frustrated response.

Mikoto sighed and left her son there to brood, she couldn't do much else about the matter knowing how competitive Sasuke got. That night Mr. Uchiha slept in the guest house, Mrs. Uchiha made sure of it.

End of chapter one!

This first chapter feels very rushed to me. But it basically explains the situation on Sasuke's side. Chapter two will have Sakura.

Please review and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! Thank you for the reviews I got. I was not expecting many reviews due to the nature of my story, and the format I had to write the first chapter. It will get better, I promise! I know my writing style was hard to read, I just couldn't word it any better to describe in a introduction for a setting like this. I'm used to years of academic writing and it showed in last chapter in how difficult it was for even me to read!

Thanks for sticking in there for me guys, as a reward I pumped out this chapter quickly. Hello to my Dutch and Canadian readers! I thought you guys would sneak a peek! Lol

–

Naturo's Namikazi's day today started off pretty typical. Wake up tangled up in his bed, ramen for breakfast and randomly pick out his clothes for the day. On his way out his father was getting ready for work, he tossed Naruto an apple. "Naruto, you need to eat a better breakfast."

"I had oatmeal and bird seed, just like you keep telling me." Naruto's father, the splitting image of his son, only sighed. "Sasuke is a bad influence on you... did you just use sarcasm?"

Naruto laughed and munched into the apple anyways "Bye Dad!". He hopped into his car and peeled out into the street where he went for the sports plex near by. The Namikazi's residence was a comfortable two bedroom condo, Naruto's mother died in a car accident when he was two so he didn't remember her and his father never re-married even though with his looks and fame as the yellow flash he would have no trouble on the dating market.

Naruto pulled into the back of the building where the Zamboni from the ice rinks would dump off the snow collected when they resurfaced the ice. With a small portable cooler, Naruto collected some snow and dumped it in. It was summer time In Kohona, where else would one get snow?

Whistling a happy tune, Naruto had no care in the world as he went back in his car and made the second stop for the day: Sasuke's house.

With his cooler full of snow, he climbed up the walls of the mansion with help of the rose vines growing on the walls, these plants used a checkerboard ladder to grow on. Getting onto the observatory that was only accessable by the skylight window in Sasuke's loft from inside, he peeked through the skylight and spied a sleepy Sasuke in his dark blue sheets. As silently as he could he popped open the window and gathered a snowball from his cooler.

The position Naruto had was ideal for what he was about to do next, being directly over his bed and out of fists reach, he pegged Sasuke with snowballs. "Hey asshole!" Sasuke only groggily pulled his covers over his head to shield him and continued sleeping. "Hey asshole!" Naruto tossed another snowball, aiming for the lump. He repeated this with a derrogatory insult for each snowball. After the fifth ball, Sasuke sat up with an angered look on his face.

"What the crap Naruto!" Was all his sleepy mind had for Naruto's randomness. It was all he can get out before the snowball sailed through the air and hit him in the face. The cold impact made Sasuke reel back into reality, he wiped it off and noticed its consistency, the scent of the chemicals in it was all to familiar. "...Son of a bitch! Did you get this from the rink?" Tossing up his covers he ran into the bathroom, mumbling about how unsanitary he felt.

Naruto plopped down the ladder inside and onto the bed laughing at his friends reaction. "What? its just snow." He rolled his eyes and went down the stairs to the living quarters of Sasuke's loft and popped in a game on Sasuke's old school gameboy color- humming the song that chimed in, and apparently he was playing pokemon. Good o' oldies.

When Sasuke emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later, he only had a dark blue towel around his waist and snatched up the gameboy with a hand towel as if the gameboy was infected. Naruto whined and watched as Sasuke sprayed the device with antiseptic. "Wash your hands idiot."

"Nu." He pouted with his arms crossed. "They are clean already, clean-freak. "

Sasuke arched his brow at the blonde haired idiot of a friend. "You don't know what is in that ice do you? The Hockey players spit on that ice, the iceskaters have their snot flying around and landing on it, and us... we always bleed on it... everyone bleeds when you factor blades in it all. Then the chemicals to keep it cool." Sasuke tossed Naruto a bottle of hand gel and made sure he used it before giving the game boy back. "All of it is unsanitary."

Naruto uttered under his breath "whatever" and went back to playing his game.

Sasuke went to get dressed in typical street clothes. Dark jeans and a black undershirt, a white and blue zip up jacket with the uchiha emblem upon the back as the finishing touches. Getting back down to where Naruto was, he ruffled up his moisten hair and slapped the back of Naruto's head 'affectionally' enough. "Is there a reason why you're here."

"Yea, I wanted to take you to a party, it is black-light Saturday!"

"How romantic." Sasuke replied dryly.

"Noo Sasuke-teme!" Naruto sighed and turned off his game to face Sasuke. "I meant we can pick up some girls and take them to that party." At that, Sasuke only tipped his head at his pitiful friend, Naruto had a way harder time with girls than the Uchiha.

"Listen. You pick up the girls, when you got the girls you text me." In actuality Sasuke was in no mood to go to any party, or put up with fan girls at the moment. Giving Naruto this task was to get the dobe away and kept occupied, and lastly Sasuke doubt Naruto could success with his shameful prowess of talking to those of the opposite sex.

Across town in a small little villa sat a pink haired young woman. She was nibbling on her yogurt while her roommate and best friend sat in front of her with a few magazines. What the blonde haired roommate had in her hand was latest issue of Figure Skating. Suddenly she ripped out a page which brought Sakura's attention to her friend. "Ino... what are you doing?"

"...recycling." Ino conjured up what she knew was a lame excuse. Moments later the two girls were fighting over the piece of ripped magazine paper. Ino tried to even eat the paper to keep it out of reach of Sakura, but this only made Sakura even more curious.

She eventually overpowered Ino with her odd insane strength she tended to get when motivated and unwrinkled the paper when she got to her own locked room. What she read quickly brought tears to her eyes. On the page showed a young competitor Sakura lost to on the page giving the 'v for victory' sign. The column was a hit piece against Sakura, the previous winner of the annual competition that she just returned from. Her large green eyes scanned over the rest of the article and by time she was done with it, she was searching for a lighter to flame it.

"_What has become of the world of figure skating? The demographics have shifted to favor younger, immature athletes who have yet grown into their own bodies. Is Figure skating the new Gymnastics? The judges and experts say yes after evaluating the efforts of house hold names such as Sakura Haruno and new arrival competitors who can barely call themselves teens or drive a car such as Mimi Sarin. Both Athletes have improved but no improvement can top the physics of youth and its advantages..." _It read on but Sakura had enough.

"Getting to old my ass." She mumbled. "She barely even has tits." She heard a knock on the door from the other side.

"Sakura, let me in." It was Ino with her concerned tone. She let her in and was tugged to the bed where Ino sat her down. "Who cares what they think Sakura. You are so kick ass! Listen to me." Sakura's head lowered down but was forced up to see her friend. "The magazine is just razzing for readers, you know, you say it all the time!"

Sakura wringkled her nose a bit. "Your filth magazines about people we don't know or should care about - is that what your talking about?"

Ino sighed but nodded, it was all in the name of cheering her friend up. Ino loved her Hollywood gossip magazines.

"We're old... you know that Ino." Sakura said sarcastically with a bit of a forlorn smile. "nineteen and elderly"

Ino hit Sakura with a pillow. "Hey, that isn't funny forehead girl! Don't you even! We are fabulously youthful, sexy, womanly and haven't yet even finished our first year of college. Don't give me any of this 'we are old.' crap." Her cell phone dinged with a new text message and Ino dove for it. "Says here Hinata wants to meet us at the rink cafe.

"No I don't want to see that place..." Ino just rolled her eyes at Sakura's childishness.

"I think Hinata is going to ask us about asking a guy out... she needs us Sakura."

"Fine...but why can't we do this on the phone." Sakura whined while Ino tossed clothes in Sakura's dirrection and told her to 'put it on'.

The girls arrived at the sports plex an hour later and met up with their long time friend Hinta Hyuuga. The timid girl was an ice dancer, took lessons from Mikoto Uchiha. She still wore her long skirt and loose zip up skate club jacket from practice. Sipping from her smoothie, she watched with a bright blush on her face when Ino and Sakura start arguing.

"You said she wanted to ask a guy out!"

"Had to get you out of the house, Forehead."

"Uhmm... can we just eat now?" Hinata spoke up in her docile tone. It was enough to stop the two loud mouthed bickering girls.

Ino got coy and leaned on the table. "I'm sure there is a boy on your mind, Hinata... Don't think I havn't noticed when you sneak off to watch the speed skaters." This got Sakura's attention and she leaned forward and Ino continued."The hottest boy there is of course Sasuke-kun but when he wasn't at practice, you were still there.."

"ooo," Pause. " sounds like Ino has a stalking problem." Sakura joked and Ino just hmphed.

"No I am just observant like that. Smartass."

This was when Naruto Observed the three girls chit chattering and in all his courage, he came in and but in "Oi, you three want to go to a party."

This caught Ino's oh so observant attention, A party and secondly, the way Hinatas face lit up like a cherry as Naruto wedged himself between Sakura and Hinata. The mere brushing of arms made Hinata weezy and waver in her chair.

"Suurre, We'll go." Ino winked flirtatiously. "What is your name." Sakura rolled her eyes at Ino's brash behavior... wasn't she dating Shikamaru? She thought.

"I am Naruto Namikazi! Believe it!" Then the girls introduced themselves.

Two of the girls sniggered at Naruto's equal brash behavior, Sakura merely thought he lacked tact and she sighed. Hinata was like a unstable nuclear reactor, growing hotter and hotter till she finally had her cool down and clunked her head into the table. All heads turned to the downed girl and Ino quickly scooped her up with a sly laugh.

"ohh, excuse us will you, Sakura keep him company." Ino lugged Hinata away into the bathroom near by, leaving an awkward silence with Sakura, but she doubted Naruto felt it odd, he just wondered what made the shy girl black out and wondered if she was ok.

"She just has a weak heart about things...I guess..." then she went back to her smoothie and tried to ignore the awkwardness. The dropped hint went over Naruto's head.

"You remind me of someone, you know." Naruto chirped up and this made the pink haired girl raise her head with an arched brow of disbelief. "Ah hah ya, he does the same look! Its just the aura you got around you... its the same." Naruto suddenly frowned and looked to his phone, it seemed like he was sending a text.

Sakura rose from her seat and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry I must do this... tell Ino and Hinata when they get out that something came up." She didn't give Naruto a chance to say any more, she left her smoothie there and swept out of the cafe like the wind.

He just slumped in his seat and watched with a perturbed look on his face. "Yap... I was right."

Sakura went to her car and pulled out her skate bag and rolled it out behind her as she walked back into the plex, she went down the familiar hallways where she goes to practice. She got changed into a stretchy tank top with a built in sports bra, and black leggings. She quickly laced up her ice skates and walked to one of the full sized rinks. It was a Saturday so not many people were using the rinks, no sessions were scheduled in the evening so the ice was smoothe and the most important thing was is that she was alone to her thoughts in the place where she can fully express herself and be happy.

The ice glowed in the dimmed stadium lights, making everything around it look like an abyss of nothingness. It was just her and the ice. Her blades cut the ice, it split like butter under her blades and made the sliced crunching noise as she made her deeper edges in the ice, it was therapeutic noise to her ears. She made aimless patterns into the ice with a sojourn smile on her face which quickly vanished when she saw her own image along the wall of the ice skating rink, back when she was young and bright eyed.

The sports plex had great pride in their homegrown champions. The Hockey teams had their championship banners strung up over their rink, the ken-do team had their plaques along the wall of the dojo and the figure skaters had mementos along their rink's walls, as if to inspire those who practiced; But ironically Sakura was no longer inspired.

The phone in Sasuke's pocket vibrated, alerting him he got a text message. He quickly read it and deleted it. So the dobe had successfully completed the task he gave him. He sighed and grabbed his keys.

It almost felt like a habit, a normal trip to the plex which he was in a zen like state driving with mindfulness but yet he was not exactly there. Before he knew it he was parked in the parking lot of the plex and paused. Why was he here again? Was he here really to see Naruto and what was set up for the night? Leaning against the car contemplatively, he crossed his arms and mulled over what he should do in his head. What did HE want to do? Hedonistic tendencies die hard and he made up his mind: Phone was turned off and he grabbed his bag from the trunk.

Inside the building, he went for the private locker room (helps being son of the owner) and changed into his body suit, zipped it up with help of the extension cord behind his back and strapped on his skated. The helmet would not be needed so he let his hair be.

All but one rink was locked, perhaps he should be thankful given it was a Saturday and he knew the place wasn't busy then. The place was serene, quiet and homely to him. To anyone else it would seem just like a dimly lit ice rink. This rink was the rink the figure skaters often used, his mother coached on this rink as well but he never skated on this ice before. Once his blades hit the cold surface he was in this world only he existed. He was proven wrong when something pink moved out in the distance and he slowed his skating down to investigate. Sitting among the fog that the cold ice emitted was a pink haired girl sitting next to a picture of a younger looking version. He assumed it was her picture.

What stroke him odd was the stark contrasts of the young woman and the picture. Normally he wouldn't care or give the girl the light of day in his eyes. Her own eyes were red and puffy, glossy with tears, nose bright red and lips so starkly red against her pale face. He couldn't tear himself away from looking at this ghostly beautiful sight. She was like a fallen princess.

The pink haired girls hair glowed a bit more neon in the refracting light of the ice as she rose her head to look up. Before her was a tall, dark figure, most definitely male. He neared her while not moving his legs at all- must be on skates as well, gliding closer to her hauntingly in fashion as the fog pushed around him. She did not feel fear as she sensed no nefarious intent coming from this man, just curiosity.

Sakura felt stricken by the unearthly beauty he possessed. In this light his hair appeared to be black and the refracted light made his skin look pale and eyes a inky black. His attire made him look like a sleek ninja, all black and hugged his form.

A hand was offered to her and she looked at it, getting out of her dream like state and took it with her own gloved one. He pulled her up swiftly, she was lighter than he expected and she gathered herself on her skates. That is when she noticed them, his own were speed skates. She blushed and looked away. "Uh... Thank you." He looked away as well, but kept his hand around her smaller one where it felt comfortable and warm.

"Hn." was his contented reply.

He looked so familiar but yet like a total stranger, she knew she had to know him... he had to be important. When he eventually broke contact with her and turned away did she figure it out. The Uchiwa fan on his back gave it away. "Y-your Sasuke Uchiha aren't you?" This made him stop and look over his shoulder at her. "I'm Sakura, Sakura Haruno."

"I know." came his quick reply.

"How?"

The male pointed to the wall behind her with her picture on it. The biggest letters spell out her name, it was almost screaming at her about how obvious it was. "Ah..." She blushed and stammered in front of the most attractive man she ever met in person. She heard of the Uchiha brothers, knew their family owned the place but never concerned herself with going out of her way to know him or the Uchiha family outside of Mikoto. "Sorry for sneaking on the ice... I'll get off." She would get in trouble for using the equipment but the markings she made on the ice already was incriminating enough.

"Never mind it. I was doing the same thing..."

There was a silent moment of understanding between the two skaters, both from different worlds and they minded their own business while sharing this oasis from reality. He only skated in circles, to Sakura's opinion - while Sakura only seemed to be twirling about and used the corners for her jumps to Sasuke's opinion. They were in a peaceful and silent agreement where they both were happy with. That was till the power was turned off with an audiable click that echoed through the rink. Both of them skidded to a stop as they were left in pitch darkness.

"Go in one direction to the wall and follow it to your left, I'll go the right." Sasuke instructed, they needed to get out together so he had to find her in the darkness. Skating in absolute darkness was a bit challenging for them both but they eventually found each other as their hands collided and she gripped his shoulder for support.

"There you are." She sighed.

"Scared?" He half laughed and she faught off the urge to hit him.

"Never liked the dark." the tight hold on his arm told him so, it didn't have to be spoken.

Together they found the exit to the ice and walked to the exit. The only light was the red 'EXIT' above the doors. Sasuke tried jiggling the handle only to find it locked. "_**Now**_ they lock it." He muttered in anger. Sakura was sure Sasuke will investigate who was working to his father and have them fired for this.

"Um... you sure there isn't another exit? Like a fire exit?" He shrugged and loosened his skates so he can freely walk about. She did the same and carried her skates with her. Climbing the highest bleachers, and checking in every corner, he came to the conclusion that they were stuck here till tomorrow... all the doors were locked.

He released a great sigh and that is when Sakura knew he had given up on the doors. He had rammed them with his shoulders, kicked them, knocked at them in hopes someone would come by and hear but it was no luck.

She was shivering, fog was emitting from her mouth when she breathed. She was only in a light slim sports jacket, it worked when working out but not for isolating when the body was idle in these temperatures. The Pink haired girl lead him eventually to the bleachers and sat down with her knees to her chest and arms pulled tightly in. He joined her and sighed. "Do you have your phone? We can call for help but...I left my phone at home." She said looked to him with hope in her eyes.

"Mines inside in my bag." her head dropped to her knees and sighed in defeat. She was stuck with this stranger... a hot stranger, but she felt a bit reserved around him, bashful for who he is. Many girls formed a fan club for him, but she never had time for it... and now she was stuck with him.

She felt him shift next to her and move behind her. She felt his strong arms wrap around her shoulders while he sat behind her, and pulled her against him. She felt a shock to her system at his warmth and closeness. His scent was intoxicating and reminded her of sandalwood and the forests. But eventually she accepted his silent kindness as her shivering and stiffness lessened while basking in each others warmth. Eventually she fell asleep.

Sasuke stayed up a little longer, watching her from behind and above, contemplating the strange woman who was in his arms. He never thought of a girl so thoroughly as he did with her. She was reserved, he saw it in her actions but he peeked and saw how flowing she was when skating, she was shy but still had a underlining fire- a total enigma. She was no typical girl who fawned over his looks, his talent, his family... just yet, but he felt she was different from them all. The look in her eyes when he found her was like looking into a mirror, she looked tormented and powerless to change her circumstances. Those big green eyes... they were so expressive... she was like a book to him and so easy to read. The same eyes haunted his sleep even when he allowed his own to close.

Both enjoyed the most fitful sleep in a long time, even on uncomfortable steal bleachers.

End of Chapter 2!

Tell me what you guys think. :D


	3. Chapter 3

Hi gaiz :D

Awesome reviews everyone! It makes me smile all over the place-...whatever that means, but it feels like it!

One thing I must get out there for those who may be confused. Sasuke and Sakura are cuddling, yes, but why? To Sasuke's guilt of leaving her there shivering. They are total strangers now but when locked in a cold place for long and I mean ice rinks are like HUGE walk in refrigerators, I'm sure even after a while you'd huddle up close to someone you're with for warmth. Ice rinks are cooooold (to me at least . . but I get cold easy). With out cold air the ice will melt along the top layer.

Post any other questions you got for me in the review section. Don't be nervous to use it everyone :(

Here is Chapter 3!

_Sasuke was standing nude on a path surrounded by Sakura blossom trees. The spring winds were slightly cool to his skin as it rushed over his bare skin. The air was as fresh as he ever smelt it, it carried the light fragrance of the Sakura blossoms. The winds rustled the trees foliage which were pink, like the evening clouds with blossoms. The winds swept up some pedals and flowers to shower around him. Like a whirl wind, caressing him with their velvety texture and softness till his whole form was blanketed with it. Inside this cocoon of pedals he felt warmth, security and endearment. _

_Sakura Blossoms: Symbol of peace, love, life and renewal. _

Green eyes opened to a dark scene, and she blinked and rubbed her eyes. This was not her room and why was her butt so damn cold! She looked around her and she heard a lower, but soft moan next to her ear. Was that a man?

"KYYAAAHHH" She palmed his sleeping form at his forehead with enough force to jerk his head back and have him completely flop backwards. When her vision cleared, adjusting to the low light she saw a groggy Sasuke sitting himself up while rubbing the back of his head which collided with the metal bleacher seat behind him. The look he gave her made her shape up real quick and she bashfully bit her lower lip. "S-sorry Sasuke-kun... you startled me."

"You're a virgin aren't you?"

"Wait... What! That was... I have no answer for that." She crossed her arms and blushed a bit embarrassed.

"Never waken up to a man being near you... its obvious." He teased her playfully and he felt intimidating her was fun in a sadistic, twisted way.

"Jerk." So she turned her head from him, avoiding his gaze while fishing a tissue from her pocket to blow her nose with. Sasuke could only watch her since there was nothing else to do besides wonder what time it was. The illusion of time was lost with them, It could be Sunday morning already or just been an hour since they figured out their situation.

"Why do Ice Skaters always blow their noses?" This made Sakura look at him odd, as if silently saying 'why else?' "It just something I see each time I see it with my mother on TV... they blow their noses before and after they skate."

This made Sakura laugh, to her it just seemed like a cute question to ask. "We are just more polite about biological reactions, and more clean. Why are the speed skates blades so long? I know from my knowledge of speed on the ice, the less blade on the ice the less drag." That question always boggled her mind.

"More traction... I skate much faster than you... you wouldn't know what traction you need outside your own slow limits." This made Sakura huff and puff her cheeks cutely. They fell into a comfortable silence where Sasuke watched the fog float about the rinks surface. "Why did you sneak into the rink?" The dark haired man said behind her, lacking the edge in his voice from before. He remembered how he first saw her, and it really felt like a reflection of himself from where he was standing, manifesting from the haze and fog.

This question was harder for her to answer, and she doubted she knew herself. Merely acting on impulse to ditch her friends and ran into her sanctuary. "I guess... I was running away." She finally spoke up while looking up in thought, mist slipped her mouth when she spoke and he watched the silhouette she made in this position- she really looked elegant even if she didn't intend to. "Then I found that picture on the wall. I was so happy and carefree back then...now the picture seems to haunt me."

Sasuke gave her a strange look. Sakura only laughed nervously and started to fret, using her hands to talk more.

"I mean...uh...I... the sport doesn't need me anymore." She looked down to her feet. "I'm old news, I had served my purpose. The media says I'm to old to make anymore of myself and-"

"You're an idiot." Sasuke flatly said to her with a bland look in his eyes.

"Excuse me?" Sakura sniffed through her nose, trying to fight off the urge of tears coming.

"You." He mockingly made what seemed like imitation sign-language with his hands. "Are. A. Idiot." She was stunned, she always prided herself on being an intellectual and top of her class, sometimes a smart ass, and here she was being told she was an idiot by a rival smart ass. Next his eyes narrowed and he grew more serious. "There is nothing wrong with you physically. What is the problem really? I think you got some inferiority issues."

"Thank you Dr. Phil." She hmphed with her sarcasm. "You don't know what its like. To perform to a crowd, on a stage in a way and pour your heart out to people." He sighed at the annoying ways women got emotional, he had seen it many times when he watched his mom watch ice skating, and get caught up in the performances and the emotion they stirred in her a sort of catharsis. "Then it turns into where you aren't given the same respect back."

"Don't think you are the only one who experiences that, Sakura. If I were you, and I still had perfectly good two legs, I would not give a shit what the media says. I don't let it get the better of me. **That** is why I think you are a idiot, a bigger one than my thick headed friend because he at least doesn't give up." He stood up, looking down at her with a sudden aura which made her widen her eyes a bit. "I hate people like you."

Sakura felt breathless as she suddenly felt like the most worthless person on the planet. Everyone knew about the owners sons leg injury, but it was simply not talked about to his face. She blew her nose again and tried to fix herself up. When she looked up again he was off the bleachers and pacing around by the exit. She had hours to maul over his words in her head and what it really should mean to her and her situation. It all gave her a headache but eventually the lights clicked on which brought Sakura out from her place to join Sasuke by the door, waiting with him for someone to unlock the doors.

Someone eventually did undo the locks and was shocked to see the owners son and a woman there, but cleared his throat and blushed while his mind instantly went to dirty things. "Good Morning Mr. Uchiha." The arena worker greeted with a nervious smile.

The aura emitting from the raven haired man gave the worker enough indication that Sasuke was in no mood to talk pleasantries and ignored him while he passed by. Sakura followed after the Uchiha with a curt and bashful bow then rushed in Sasuke's wake. She felt she should at least say sorry for offending him, but he quickly turned a corner and slipped into his private locker room.

Sakura sighed and went to where she put her bag from the day before but didn't find it there though she eventually found it at the lost and found, luckily everything was in there. She changed out and was tying up her shoes. On her way out with her car keys to leave the Sports plex she looked up from her cell phone. She spotted Sasuke doing the same thing, eyes locked on his cellphone and ignoring everything else in the world while being mindful when he walked along the sidewalk.

This was her chance! If she was going to say sorry, it was now or never! She jogged over to him in the parking lot and stopped where he had suddenly stopped to avoid colliding with him. "I just wanted to say s-"

"FUCK!" This made Sakura squeak out in surprise and look to where he was looking. He was a quiet man, she figured, and was shocked when he made such long sentences with her last night. Though she never thought he would yell so loud.

"Whoa..." is all she could say as she saw a black GTI filled to the roof with snow.

Sasuke looked visibly angered as he fisted his hands, she was shocked his cellphone didn't break in that hold. "I'm going to kill him... I swear."

Sakura took a step back, trying to keep out of his danger zone in case he were to snap. "Ano, Sasuke-kun. Let me take you to get some breakfast, I bet your hungry." She sure was, it nearly eighteen hours since her last meal and her stomach was about to fold in on itself it seemed like.

He was not listening apparently since his phone was to his ear and he was already getting a towing service to come get his car to a shop for renovation. Giving a description of his car and license plate number, then the address to the sports plex. To top it off with his agitation he finished it with: "its the only car stuffed with damn snow." He got off the phone and looked at her finally.

"Ah, Let's grab breakfast... " Sasuke gave her a harsh look, as if she had just asked him out... Sasuke Uchiha does not date. The mention of food made a protest against his better judgment and he took one more look at his car then sighed. "Ah." He grew tired of the Cafe food at the plex anyways.

The pink haired girl took this to be a noise of compliance. "I'll pay... I feel bad about what I made you think earlier." She smiled to him and motioned him to follow her to where she parked her car. Her car was a white compact domestic made car, not any fine brand of engineering such as Sasuke's ride but it did what it needed to do.

Once on the road, she heard Sasuke talking on the phone, at first it seemed like he was talking to his father and explaining what happened last night with being locked in the rink over night. He failed to mention he was not alone much to Sakura's relief, although she was not trying to sneak into the conversation. When he ended his conversation, she parked at a small and cozy local restaurant which served breakfast.

They were seated and given menu's. The young waitress paid extra attention to Sasuke with her bubbly self. Sakura ordered cinnamon rolls, a fruit platter with a vanilla latte and Sasuke ordered the bacon, ham, toast and eggs with black coffee. "Did you mean what you said earlier?"

"Did you mean to listen to other people's opinions to shape your own?"

"..." She sipped from her drink and sighed. "I guess I shouldn't."

"Its only because I said so though." He chuckled at how easy she was. "You're so easy to manipulate. I'm surprised your still a virgin with that trait of yours."

"Shut up about that!" She glared daggers at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I now realize how dumb I was being, okay? You are indirectly saying earlier that if you were me you would prove them wrong." He didn't move to speak, only sipped his coffee. "If you were me, I mean: I got perfectly good legs and I should use them. I am perfectly physically able to prove them wrong!" She smiled proudly and sat up straighter.

"You wont want to know what I'd do if I had those legs." He said huskily and smirked.

She instantly slumped and returned to glaring at him. "Does your mind ever leave that subject?" Then she silently wondered if he was hitting on her.

Sasuke only smugly smirked at her and ignored the waitress as she came in to deliver their food. The blouse on the waitresses was unbuttoned a few more times than before, showing off her best busty attributes. Sakura did not miss the other girls attempt to get Sasuke's attention but was surprised when he didn't take the time to peek even when his mind was obviously in the gutter.

Sasuke's mind was going over memories of how the pink haired girls legs looked when he stole glances at her while skating last night, she had some really nice, feminine legs that were shapely that ran into a perfectly squeezable rear. The female Speed skaters legs were well to over developed with muscles for his likes, the Ice skaters had the perfect medium.

Sakura knew Sasuke was thinking about something, but not quite what. His gaze scorching hot and dark with that look on his face. His face was quite handsome and easy to look at and she spent the time eying how his features were sharp and strong, the shape of his eyes elegant and lips loose and full. The smell of the delicious cinnamon roll drifted into her nose, interrupting her train of thought and made her remember her stomach was growling mad for food.

"Hmmm ohmigosh... this is delicious." She said after the first bite of her roll. Hunger made good food always taste the best ever. Sasuke calmly, and silently ate at his plate with manors fit for a prince while Sakura was licking her sticky fingertips. Eventually they finished their food and it was time for the bill. The waitress handed the bill to Sasuke but Sakura quickly jerked and snatched the paper from the waitresses hand. "I said I would pay." She declared.

Sasuke still had the bottom half of the bill and was tugging on it insistingly. "I'll pay." The other hand of his was reaching back into his pocket for his wallet but Sakura would not give up to easily. The tug a war ensued in front of the waitress who merely stared at the scene in front of her. The poor paper bill ripped eventually and the lower half that was in Sasuke possession was the half that had the important matters of paying, so he filled out the tip and total then signed for it quickly before handing it back to the flabbergasted waitress with his exclusive credit card to pay for it.

Sakura pouted, having lost against this bullheaded man and narrowed her eyes at him. "This was my way of trying to say sorry for earlier, bastard." She crumbled up her useless end of the bill and flicked it at his forehead. He only smirked at her reaction, it was fun getting a rouse out of her, the faces she made he thought were cute- did he just use cute in his thoughts?

A phone rang and both of them went for their phones, it turned out to be Sasuke's phone. He was responding with monosyllables that she was used to hearing from him. It was a short conversation and he hung up, only to start dialing again. "Pick me up at the plex asap, dobe." Click, he hung up on that person too.

"Mr. Popular huh."

"Whatever, let's go."

They both got up and left the small restaurant after collecting Sasuke's credit card and filed into Sakura's car. "I assume I'm dropping you off."

"Aa" He confirmed with a nod and slouched into the seat of the passenger side of the car. His eyes were getting heavy from lack of length of sleep, even if his quality of the small amount of sleep he had was the best he ever had, it was not enough for the stressful day he was assuming he was set up for today.

She drove on and dropped him off where their little journey began. She smiled from her seat and blew him a kiss. "Thanks for the date Sasuke-kun." She giggled and drove off before he can challenge her otherwise. He did pay didn't he? And she asked him to come with her- she was confusing him.

Sasuke ruffled up his hair and yawned before sitting down on the curb and fished out his phone. The battery on it was nearing its limit so he turned it on airplane mode and started to listen to music stored on the memory to pass time. Half an hour later Naruto's car skidded to a stop and made the young dark haired man raise from the curb expressionlessly.

"Hey buddy! Wha!" Sasuke opened the drivers side door and tried to yank Naruto out of his car, finding that he was buckled into the seat so he opted to punch the blonde ruthlessly in the jaw, then lean over and unbuckle him to tug him out of the car. "Ow! Hey what are you doing!" Naruto yelled as Sasuke climbed into his car.

"I'm going to drive, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"That is O.P.P. Sasuke-teme!" Naruto chirped at him and hung onto the opened window. (O.P.P = Other peoples property.) "Though I am not surprised."

"Ya, you know me." The dark hared man shifted the clutch into drive and made Naruto climb into the back seat real quick. "Since when did you mind other peoples property? I remember the snow stuffed in my own car just a few hours ago."

"Hmph, that was my master piece." Sasuke only rolled his eyes and drove off to the direction of the Uchiha District."Admit it Teme, I am the source of any sort of randomness in your life. With out me you would be leading a dreadfully boring life." To this Sasuke only groaned and shook his head. Naruto eventually climbed into the passenger seat and barreled out of the car when they arrived at Sasuke's house. They parked next to a SUV that was getting packed full of things from his brothers room. Behind the SUV was additional cab attached to the tailgate which was holding some small furnature items. "Who's moving out? Your parents getting a divorce."

"No. Itachi is moving out, hes going to a art college in stone country." Responded Sasuke as he tugged his friend inside.

"Hi Mrs. Uchiha!" Naruto made it into the main living area where Mikoto was watering some of the plants she was growing by the windows. He hugged her and started to buzz around her in a manor which pissed Sasuke off. Naruto always commented that his mom was a MILF and Mikoto unknowingly basked in the loving attention Naruto showered her with with more pure intentions. The Dobe was so clueless.

"Oh Sasuke-kun. Your father wants to speak with you right away." Mikoto chirped happily with a smile and sent Naruto to Sasuke's room saying he can use whatever that is in there.

"Sweet~" Naruto said in victory and stuck out his tongue. "I'm going to use the telescope you never let me touch." Sasuke eye twitched as he tried to tear himself away from the obsessive compulsive need to bar him from his most expensive and precious item of his.

Closing the large and heavy oak doors behind him, Sasuke paced into the large home office of his fathers, Stopping short of the large polished desk, his father placed his pen down and shuffled some contracts away for now. "I had the issue at the rink dealt with, but I got a more pressing issue to talk to you about." The younger man remained silent, waiting for his father to carry on.

"I assume you saw that your brother is serious about leaving. Which brings my attention to you. What do you plan on doing with your life?" Sasuke couldn't ignore the way his father glanced down to his lower leg, under the loose pants was the crutch to many things for the young man.

"Didn't think much about it..." Truth be told he was still trying to cope with his loss of being competitive with Speed Skating.

"You can't live your life like that, Sasuke. But I can help you now." This made the younger mans brow arch. "I'll make you the heir to the franchise, my main beneficiary...only if you are willing to take on those responsibilities seriously." Sasuke's eyes widened a notch but he said nothing, knowing there had to be a catch. "I will enlist you to the Konoha school of business and finance and you can start working under me as my protege."

"What is the catch, father." Sasuke knew the only reason for the turn of events was because of Itachi's rebelliousness.

This made Fugaku chuckle and lean back in his large leather chair. "... I see you are just as sharp as your brother..." He looked to the wedding band on his finger then back to Sasuke's leg- the constant looks down there was really starting to get on his nerves. "You will need to marry yourself an Olympic Champion. I will not have tradition end with you."

Teeth gritted and Sasuke slammed his hand upon the desk. "...One request on my end, dear father," The words came out in slight mock. "You do not reference my handicap any more, I am still your flesh and blood."

"I have not forgotten you are, my son. Why else would I give you this opportunity for you to step forward? I intend to pass on this Uchiha Legacy."

"Only if you agree to my terms, will I take your offer."

"I agree." Father and son shook hands on it. The business would go on to a new generation and Fugaku was proud. But there was a matter of the Uchiha council to convince about this move.

Somewhere across town, a transmission cut off with connections leading to the home office of Fukagu Uchiha. A studious looking woman dropped her headphones and grinned widely then typed something out on a old school typewriter. When done she un-scrolled it all and handed it to her office assistant. "Pass this on to the presses."

"Hai, Ma'am."

END OF CHAPTER 3

I hope people saw the song reference, I think I made it obvious. Prop to first to comment to point it out!

I've gotten some pictures drawn for this story, though merely composite sketches just for people to get a more visual idea of things. I will post them up once I get my scanner going.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello readers !

++++ this is the edit version of the original release ++++

Sorry for the delay, I had a lot going on these past days and it was just crazy.

MAJOR THANKYOUS FOR **Lady Rini** for Reviewing on every chapter released so far (3).

Anonymous (Anonymous because i have no name.) ← signature, reviewed twice. _I thought Sasuke would look nice in speed skating attire, I've drawn it myself... its yummy looking._

Derp: Reviewed Twice. _Yeah, I can view from which country someone sees my story. I was a little smitten to see some dutch viewers. ^_^ I know how big speed skating is over there._

Hakumei: Reviewed once._ Glad you didn't find it hard to read. I have my good and bad days for writing but I keep cranking out chapters._

_Resax: Glad you like the story. :)_

_**This chapter is thank you to you four for your efforts to drop me a little word. With out you I would have given up on this story all together.**_

Sakura went about her morning following her day she spent with Sasuke in total bliss. Humming and floating around the house she shared with Ino, even baking cookies which Sakura never got around to doing due to her schedule sometimes. Ino popped her head from the mountains of books in the living room and gave Sakura a strange look.

"Ok, what did you do with the real Sakura." Ino poked her pen at the base of Sakura's spine under the skull threateningly.

"Hmm? Stop that Ino, you can hurt someone like that." She swapped at the offending poking pen. "Not my fault you procrastinated on school work."

"After class tomorrow I'm going to go to Tsunade-sensei and ask for a tougher training regiment." This made Ino drop her pencil before going back to her own studies with a smile on her face. All is right in Ino's universe as long as her best friend ice skated, they lived together in harmony and she finishes this homework on time. All that is left for the young blonde girl to ask for is her boy friend to do something kinky and elaborately romantic for her; fat chance that happening with her clueless boyfriend.

"Sounds good forehead girl."

The Uchiha clan had their annual wine tasting and Sasuke was more or less demanded to go. Naruto tagged along as the only orange speck in the whole party where men wore black suits and women breezy white summer dresses. Sasuke stood at his fathers right hand side as he was obligated to shake hands and greet most of the people who were walking around. A orchestra played light music to add to the light and flavorful atmosphere which went with the sampled wines ranging in the hundreds from eager wine agents brought to the event.

Delegates of states, diplomats, Royalty from near by countries and their very own Fire Daimyo were there, the high society elite clans like the Hyuuga attended also.

When the greetings were done, the wine was being passed around and it gave Sasuke the chance to sit down with his father and at least listen to the conversation going on at their table.

"Where is Itachi, Mr. Uchiha?" The Fire Daimyo asked and this made Sasuke shift his eyes to his father, wondering how he will handle pressing question, it must have been more than just a minor thought to the guests that Sasuke was standing in a place normally Itachi held every year next to the Uchiha clan leader.

"He couldn't attend today, Attending school and all." Fugaku casually brushed it off and Sasuke diverted his attention to Naruto who was making a funny face at a wine sample that was getting passed around the table.

"Blegh, tastes like acid."

"Wine is acidic... thank you for stating of obvious dobe."

"Where's the beer?" Sasuke only lowered his head with contempt.

An hour and a half later and after countless small talk conversations with the important people at the party. A shy Hinata ushered Naruto away in a manor that made Sasuke curious. Naruto had no connection to the Hyuuga family as far as Sasuke knew, so this was something new to him. While excusing himself from the present company he had, he sneaked around outside of the club house on one of the world class golf courses in the Uchiha District. Near the limousines he spoted the two talking and getting rather close till Sasuke felt a hand drop on his shoulder making him jump.

"Hello there Sasuke-kun." Same a smooth voice from behind.

"Sai..." Sasuke acknowledged with a little bite of a grunt.

"Is that how you greet all your cousins?" Sai smiled a plastered on smile which made Sasuke even less pleased. Whenever he spoke to Sai it never turned out good, he simply disliked the guy. He was a year older and generally gave him the creeps. Sai motioned to Hinata and Naruto. "They really hit it off at the party Saturday night. When Naruto gave up on you showing up, and when the Hyuuga got a few drinks in, they hit it off pretty quickly." Sai's fake smile broke and he looked to Sasuke with something Sasuke couldn't quite place. "Congratulations on the position."

Sasuke blinked suddenly and narrowed his eyes. "...Not sure where your getting at, cousin." gruffness was soaked in his tone.

Sai laughed casually, leaning on the younger mans shoulder. "You know exactly what I mean, you are such a simple person to understand, specially next to your brother... you were your brothers shadow, yearning for your fathers praise,... you wanted your father to look at you just like he did with Itachi. Now you have it." Sasuke shrugged Sai's touch from his shoulder.

"How do you know?"

"Word travels fast. The old men will gather tonight to talk to your father, and it doesn't seem good."

Sasuke sighed and looked around the place, he spotted Naruto once again by the limousines with the Hyuuga heiress making out and it only served to remind him of a pink haired girl he spent some time with at the Ice rink. Turning his attention away from both the scene and Sai he started to walk back inside where people were starting to file out. "I will see you tonight I guess." He said to his cousin.

He thought about school and the proposal he had with his father all rest of the day till evening where he found himself slipping on some traditional attire with the Uchiha emblem embroidered, and layers in colors of the clan. With a Hakama-shita, Hakama pants set, he topped it off with a Haori jacket completing the fine Japanese set. He went out with his father and grandfather Madara to the ancient looking Dojo.

Inside was a long wrap around table and the trio sat in the middle on the cushions on the floor, Sasuke Sat between his father and Grandfather, the sitting place for the next leader of the clan. The Clan was an ancient clan, A Samurai class clan from the earliest recorded time for the country, and a very successful one even through war which was attributed to their men who trained as Samurai when born with the physical keenness and the body-linguistics like all the main branch men- which included Sasuke's.

As all the men of importance were invited along with their proteges, Sasuke took note of all of them. Half wore traditional clothing like him, the other wore business suits as if they were just returning from work or simply hated traditional murrmurs died down once fugaku knocked on the wooden table in front of him, one of the last words he heard was. "would it hurt to get chairs?" Said one self entitled business suited man who earned Sasukes attention.

The council of Uchiha's were getting a rift between them, the main branches and the subbranches. The main branches chose to keep more traditional and kept training their bodies and answering their usefulness with sport. While the rest did in academics and business- in recent hundred years of peace time, business has been good for them. The Clan had wealthy business men, Politicians, Deans of colleges, respected scientists, bankers, and business tycoons. With success like that, and moderate peace times, it was no wonder why they were starting to feel more entitled to the clan than the older power of the sword the Samurai men once wielded in more turbulent times of war and insecurity- the traditional times.

"So you were serious about your replacement, Fugaku." Said another suit in a rather unimpressed tone. Next to him was Sai who only smiled at Sasuke when his eyes drifted to him.

The whole meeting went as a blur. Sasuke sat stone faced while accusations and doubt about him as next ruler crossed many mouths in the room, mostly by the less traditionally dressed men. It was to redundant for Sasuke's direct attention, that was till a question was aimed directly at him. Sasuke rose his head an inch and spoke. "I am the same flesh and blood, and only three years Itachi's junior, I have that much time to learn what I can and to say I am not one for the job now will be pulling your chips out before the cards are dealt." the room full of men were silent for a moment before going to their immediate neighbors and started to whisper. Both the traditionalist Uchiha and who Sasuke called the Uchiha Entrepreneurs went along with this till his father called them all to order to discuss some more recent events and goals to keep their prominence. Sasuke only observed the lingering looks he got from the old and young in the room, Traditionalist and non and could see the doubt in their eyes; it almost read "You're not a Itachi..."

He swallowed this in and focused on his father the rest of the night silently, looking forward to the day that he would wipe those looks off those faces, they will not doubt the young son of Fugaku again.

Weeks went by and the schools let out for the summer. For Sakura, summers meant extra training with her extra time, for people like Ino and her crew it meant jobs and weekend parties. Sakura trained intensely with new vigor and progress. With her coach Tsunade, they tackled weaknesses she had in the judging system and pushed her body to be ready for the olympics in the coming spring. Sakura was only days away from her re-entering into the international competitions leading up to the Olympics.

It meant she spent the whole day inside the rink much to Sasuke's horror or pleasure as he watched her from the window of his office overlooking the rink- luck would have it that his father would give him the smaller office with such a view.

Sasuke's summer was spent doing less important paper work for his father, and when he wasn't doing that he was watching the pink haired temptress in her pony tails, skin tight leggings, tank tops doing stretches or bending over to help a smaller child as she would tutor them on the side. It was of course an irritating but infectious situation for him, soon just waiting from above wasn't enough for him.

The next day he went out to the rink side and didn't find her there. Only by over hearing some younger girl who he recognized as one of the skaters Sakura tutored did he find out that she was at a major competition. He watched that competition when he got home on the TV with his mother who kept up with it, she found it strange that her youngest son was suddenly so interested in such a thing. He was glad that Sakura won that competition. He couldn't help to crack a smile when Sakura was over joyed on the TV about her results and this smile wasn't missed by a ever observant mother beside him.

When asked about what made her career turn around, a candid Sakura shrugged her shoulders, smiled brightly and said it was her little secret. This comment went to the controversial side and she submitted to a drug test that same night, said some news casters a few hours later- she passed.

Sasuke went to the plex a few days later, he was skirting around some press people and crowds as Sakura had returned to training. He went right to his office and went to work, going back to spying on the Pink haired figure skater from above. He would have to try another time to get her attention. He spent his normal Thursday doing what he normally did which was do some work with his father till noon, eat lunch, and skate with Naruto and the speeders.

Naruto kept going on about his dates Hinata Hyuuga, who told him was a Ice dancer and friends with Sakura since one of their dates were at Sakura's welcome home party.. 'Such a small world...' Sasuke said to himself. While the two skated around in a few more circles. "Can you stop talking to my butt dead-last?" He grumbled to his best friend over his shoulder. Their formation had it so Sasuke was in front and Naruto in back as they whipped around curves.

Sasuke only heard a laugh before Naruto sped up and passed Sasuke while slapping his butt in the process. This caused Sasuke to wobble and fall, and crashing into the cushioned wall. He didn't move from there, keeping on his butt while crossing his arms over his chest, sending death glares at his infantile friend.

Karin giggled lightly and offered her hand to Sasuke. He accepted it and the two spent the rest of the speed session in a normal fashion. It was her talking about he recent race meets and how she was winning all of them. Sasuke simply kept slipping glances at the red headed girl, seeing how different she wad from another girl who tempted him from afar.

Even later when Karin was between Sasuke's thighs, taking the Uchiha's hardened member in her mouth after practice in side his private locker room, he ran his hands through her hair, gathered the choppy tresses in a pony tail and used the halogen lights from above to play effect on the color when he squinted his eyes down at her so it would appear pink.

His lips parted erotically in a silent gasp when he climaxed powerfully, the feeling resonated through his mind numbly as Karin licked her lips like a sex kitten. She adjusted so his head was in her lap while she brushed her fingers through his freshly shampooed hair lovingly.

"Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

"I know about what you need in a wife." This made Sasuke's eyes spring open and he looked up at her a bit shocked.

"how did-"

"Only a handful of women in the world fit that quality, Sasuke-kun... And how we are right now it only makes sense that I get a gold medal and become your wife."

"I don't care what you do with yourself, Karin... We are not a couple now and you know it."

She sighed childishly and pulled her hands from his wet hair to cross over her chest. "You know I love you, and I know your wife has to be a Olympic gold medalist." She smirks. "I got myself training in five races for next years games, so I have five chances." She said proudly.

Sasuke sat up from her lap and started to dress in his normal street clothes so he can get back to work and that was uneventful and normal. By sundown he clocked out and was on his way to his car, looking forward to dinner for he had not eaten since eight hours earlier. His car revved up, blasted his favorite tones and zoomed out of the parking lot. The upholstery was all brand new from Naruto's last prank with the snow and it made his car have that fresh new car scent that he loved.

Cruising at a speed that a speed skater like him was comfortable with on the freeway, about eighty miles per hour, when a unexpected person turning into his lane made him swerve onto a off ramp. He instantly stomped on the break pedal, nothing happened to his horror. He tried again and again only to find it futile. A stop light was approaching fast. Yanking his emergency break now, he heard a snap from under his car and the dials on his dashboard started to tick and a warning beep rung through. "Oh Shit! NO STOPP!"

When the car reached the bottom of the ramp, a traffic light was right there to greet him, He missed the one car who was waiting there by a few inches and he sailed through the crossing traffic if by some mere pass of luck he did not t-bone any and he hopped over a median which rattled him out of control of his steering. Barrel rolling, Sasuke lost all sense of up and down, only the terrorizing sound of crushing metal.

When the car stopped rolling, he had felt that the car actually did so by hitting something. Either if his car was upright or not, he unbuckled his seat belt and landed on his head on the ceiling. The car was upside down, so he did what he only thought he could do at this point which was crawl out of his opened window. An explosion was the last thing Sasuke remembered hearing before blacking out.

Many sounds came through much later, the constant beeps from somewhere to his left, a few random dings from over head. A drone like voice of a woman announcing a few things to 'staff'. The smell of sterilization filled his senses next and a wash of white blinded him when he eventually opened his eyes.

An angel glowed before him, with a innocent and loving stare as she seemed to be surprised he woke up. Her green eyes lit up and she put a hand over his own. "Don't move Sasuke-kun." She said, like a calm chorus to his ears. She suddenly looked sad and Sasuke roamed his eyes along his own body. Both feet wiggled below and his arms were both there. He only felt an itch on his forehead and a mild pain in his chest. A clear drip was leading into one of his arms, which he assumed was suppressing his pain and made his mind loopy.

"Where am I?" He asked with a dry throat. The angel leaned forward and brought water to him which he craned his head to drink from.

"The Konoha University campus hospital." She answered, but it looked like she wanted to say more. "Your mother is here too... I'll get her." He tried to grab for her but she was to fast and when she moved from the direct light, he held his breath as he saw that her hair was pink, and it was Sakura Haruno.

She did not return, instead his mother rushed to his bed side looking pale and older than she normally looked. It wasn't a sight Sasuke was accustomed to seeing from his usually radiant mother. She wrapped her arms around him delicately and cried upon his chest. A nurse later walked in quietly and put a clipboard at the foot of his bed. "Mr. Uchiha?" this made him raise his eyes to the woman with dark hair.

"I am your Nurse Shizune, you were one lucky fellow you know that?" He blinked up to her and she sat down in a chair on the other side. "You only suffered two broken ribs, a concussion and a broken hand. How you managed it I don't know but you can be released tomorrow after we finish up a few more scans to see if you got any internal injuries and we can go from there."

The Nurse looked down at the crying woman and her expression grew more grim as well. "Unfortunately, your father had a similar accident and didn't make it out so luckily" Shizune was a seasoned nurse and she still can't get over how hard it is to deliver news. "He passed away a few minutes ago with serious injuries and burns."

His mother ripped into another loud series of cries and Sasuke lowered his head as well, watching his mother with out much way to make her feel better. Shizune got to her feet and quietly left the room, passing a concerned looking Sakura and a strange gray-haired man in the hall.

"Sakura-san, right?" This caught the girls attention and she turned to face the older gray-haired man who had his hand fishing his police badge from his pocket. "I am Kakashi Hatake with the Konoha investigations department. My little daughter is a fan of yours... but I need to ask you a few serious questions about tonight.

Sakura nodded silently and answered some of the mans questions to the best of her knowledge. Most of it was 'how did you find him?' 'what did you do after the accident' 'what is your relationship with him?' She revealed that she had found him struggling to crawl out of his half opened car window on the car when he passed out. She had drug him out entirely after something under the hood of the car exploded and called for emergency dispachers on her cell phone. Her relationship? She blushed at the thought and looked to her lap. "...A minor acquaintance..." Is all she said.

Kakashi nodded and jotted down some notes. While keeping an aire of professionalism, she knew his questioning was over when he asked for her autograph for his daughter. She agreed and gave him one. After that the officer left leaving Sakura alone to eye the door where Sasuke was in with a frown.

She knew the news about Sasuke's father, from the comotion going on over the police's radios she knew of another car explosion on the other side of town, and now she found herself back with that infuriating man she met a few weeks ago as she didn't feel right walking away from him in such a state.

Sakura was in her thoughts mulling over what happened when it all started for only a few more seconds when a loud, "Hi Sakura!" came a voice and startled her and made her look up to see the loud blonde she met before at the rink and her welcome home party as her friends date. "is the bastard in there?" and she just looked at him flabbergasted by his bluntness.

"...Sasuke Uchiha is in that room." 'If that is what he meant' she thought.

"Oh good, I hope he is awake..." Then waltzed right in there tactlessly, it only made her sigh. Though only moments later, she heard Mrs. Uchiha laugh softly and sigh a still sad sigh. Through the open door he left behind, she got up to peek inside. What she heard made her gawk and rage to drag the blooming idiot out by the collar when she heard Naruto making a pass on Sasuke's mother. "Just wait till I tell Hinata!"

"Can you stop hitting on my mother!"

At least Mrs. Uchiha had stopped crying.

"Hey! You don't know, I always hit on his mom! I am not serious! OOW Sakura-chan stop! NO don't call her!"


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again my readers. I will get this chapter out of the way before I have my crash of School responsibilities. I have another unusual story on my mind and I already typed out the first chapter of it, Look out for it :D

Enjoy the picture on my profile for this story. I may make more if there is a demand for it...and I mean more than those who already asked.

A CRAZY DAY WITH THE UCHIHA'S

The following day Sasuke was released by the the hospital and the police had personally taken he and his mother home, due to circumstances of investigation they took Mikoto's car as well, it only made sense that she may have been targeted too.

Sakura left earlier that morning, making it through the door utterly exhausted from her lack of sleep from the night. She dropped her purse and the moment she hit the sheets, she was out like a light. She woke up with the high noon sun peering through her windows and the smell of her roommate baking something.

Groggily, Sakura pushed herself to the bathroom and washed herself off for the day, emerging with a steam billowing from the bathroom, a fluffy pink towel around her body and a green one in her hair. Once she was dressed in a simple red sundress with a short sleeve vest, she joined her roommate in the kitchen.

Ino was sitting among the papers and magazines, with scissors in hand and Sakura blinked interestedly enough and peeked at one of the clippings. It was one with the face of Sasuke from a recent event, standing next to his father with wine in their hands- the date was also not that old either. What piqued her interest is when she read the headline. _"New Uchiha Heir, the speed skater fallen prince!"_

"Ino, what is all this?" Said girl looked up and smiled.

"I see someone had a rough night." Sakura had to fight to keep her eyes from rolling.

"Honestly Ino, I got caught up in something." Sakura shook her head and looked away from her best friend.

"You mean that car accident and bombings?" Ino shuffled the papers and shoved the morning newspaper's front page in Sakura's face. It was two pictures of two equally damaged cars, then a racy eye catching head line which read: _One Uchiha assassinated, the other in stabilized condition"_ there was a short sentence which sensationalized the situation and told the readers to continue reading about it on page 3.

Ino kept her wolfish grin. "It says that you saved Sasuke's life, forehead girl. It is all over the news!" She squealed. "I knew all along why you were out late, I just wanted to see you get flustered."

Sakura's eyes grew wide and she read on the article and blushed when a very unbecoming picture of hers was used in the profile when describing what famous person saved the younger Uchiha from certain death, it was only a delayed triggering of the bomb which saved both of them or so she learned from the article.

With a final sigh, she brought her hand to her forehead. "Great, just what I need, media whores clawing at me for interviews over this thing."

that is when Ino leaned in and took the paper form her to clip out the story. "I took care of that for you. I am your Bff-jill, dress designer, public relations person, and roommate all in one and I know all your dirty secrets." This is when Sakura looked at Ino with a poker faced expression.

"You're my dress maker and roommate, yes...but I think you imposed the rest on your own."

"I am good at the rest. You're lucky you have me." Ino proudly smiled and watched as Sakura got herself her brunch to eat. First bite into her apple and Ino tossed a note to her. "This came by messenger, I didn't think people still used personal messengers, but I double checked the reference and its legit, and not the media.

Sakura unfolded it and saw there was a phone number, address and name Uchiha Mikoto. "What is all this?"

"She wants to personally thank you. She felt bad she couldn't while at the hospital." Sakura nodded, remembering the state of mind the older woman was at that time, and she couldn't blame her for feeling that way. "I suggest you give her a call."

Sakura debated calling the woman, and in the end, Sakura left her friend and and the note on the table to go back to her room where she grabbed her skate bag and made her way out to her car. Ino shouted from the kitchen along the way out.

"Just called her! Meet her at 2 at the address." This made Sakura stop in the living room just enough time for her to be pelted with a paper ball which Sakura knew was the message with the address in it.

"Damnit Ino! I don't want to be thanked." It wasn't her thing to go do something for praise like that, she just reacted like a good Samaritan in her eyes. But now Ino had set up some sort of appointment for her. Sakura groaned and stomped out of the little house they shared and hopped in her car.

When she was riled up like this, only classical and soothing music can bring her back to peace with herself. She slapped in the proper CD in her CD player in her car and started to drive. When the engine was on, the clock on the dashboard read 1:15. "What the …." Deep breaths.

Sakura had no time to mess around then, she sighed and shifted her car into gear and followed the directions in her phone's navigation to the address's destination while listening to the soothing music.

The trip took her across town, into the Uchiha district where she was stopped by security and she flashed her crinkled up message from the Uchiha matriarch where she was allowed in. From there she was awed by the grandeur of the district, with world class golf courses, dotted with random mansions linked to the private road by long winding drive ways, more gates, forests, and manicured lawns for privacy.

Finally, getting there just in time, Sakura parked in front of the white mansion with the vines crawling along the walls with a more aged look, her car looked like a sore sight in front of such a fine house. A servant was waiting for her outside and informed Mrs. Uchiha she was here the moment they entered the large high ceiling entry room. Sakura was brought to a small table and offered tea , to which she refused but the maid poured a cup for her anyways.

Feeling very stiff and uncomfortable, Sakura looked around at the fine furniture around her, decorations and everything looked exquisite in design and taste... everything Sakura was not used to due to her modesty and modest upbringing. Her parents were small business owners so they had some money, but not anything like this. She felt like a commoner sitting in a kings palace.

The sound of heels upon the marble floors brought her eyes up to the approaching Uchiha matriarch and she quickly wrapped her arms around Sakura in a hug. "Oh Sakura! I am so sorry I didn't thank you earlier... but I am glad you are here and safe!"

The face on the beautiful Uchiha was one wrecked with a sleepless night, and eyes glazed with pain, stress, and fear that no hired security can calm. "Hello Mrs. Uchiha." Sakura bowed a little to the older woman she would see normally on a weekly basis, and call her 'coach Uchiha' while on the ice. Now here they were on something that seemed like a social call.

"Ooh no, no. Call me Mikoto. I am forever in your debt for saving my Sasuke-chan!" Sakura blushed a little bit, being to modest for the praise and for the small mention of his name...

"How is he now?" Sakura asked politely. It was only nice to ask that.

"Oh he is fine, been asleep since the car ride home. He is on a lot of pain medications and the doctor at the Hospital suggested anti-depressants but I refused." Sakura smirked a little at this woman, she surely did revealed a little to much but Sakura can tell Mikoto just needed someone to trust to spill everything to, not someone judgmental like clan-women tended to be to one another. Sakura knew about the clan life of woman through her friend Hinata, but Hinata was not like the rest of them. "Just a lot of medications I wish he wouldn't be on...specially with the loss, I know he will feel a little overwhelmed."

This is where Sakura was glad the maid put tea out for her so Sakura can look less uncomfortable and more natural as she passed the time with Mikoto. The mother babbled by typical worried mother things, eventually Mikoto asked about Sakura's training even though Mikoto often saw her at practice.

The door opened and a dark haired man with long hair in a low pony tail entered, maids behind him carrying his bags. This distracted Mikoto enough to have her hug him and bring the young man to the table and sit him down.

"Ooh Itachi, you got here quick!" The young man looked to the pink haired girl with a smooth smile which made Sakura blush a little while he embraced his mother.

"Aa, I got a ticket to Konoha as soon as I heard what happened" The servants took whatever small amount of luggage Itachi had and took it away down the hall. The son and mother chatted, Sakura tuned out what they were talking about till Mikoto tapped her on the shoulder for her attention.

"Sakura-chan, you can stay for dinner, it will be in two hours, perhaps you can check up on Sasuke-kun, I am sure he has a few words for you for saving his life. If he is asleep, can you wake him up for dinner? If you can do that for me, I will appreciate it!" The Uchiha woman was busy ordering servants around, chatting to her son here and there and answering her phone. It was strange, one moment she was calm and seemed to have all the time in the world, next she was like a conductor to an orchestra which was running a household. Sakura assumed it was the frenzy of losing someone in the family that did that.

Before Sakura can answer her, Itachi took her by the arm and took her down long hallways, up the stairs and eventually to a branch of the house which had very few doors. "When things get crazy, My mother still likes to have some control on things so she is planning the funeral for Sunday afternoon, can you come?" Sakura opened her mouth. "Well... uh.."

"Oh here we are..." Itachi reached one tall door and pushed it open. "This is Sasuke's wing." The older brother ushered her in and excused himself.

Standing by herself in this two story high ceiling loft, she looked around as saw a typical living space which was cleaned impeccably, with high tech gadgets, sound systems, large tv screens, fully furnished living spaces, kitchen. Sakura swallowed loudly, feeling immediately that she was trespassing. "Well... I guess... she gave me permission." Curiosity got the better of Sakura. Going up the stairs, she spotted a open door to a bathroom, then the large open area where a bed with dark blue sheets directly under a beautiful skylight.

Approaching the bed like a ninja, she was soundless in her steps on the wooden floorboards, then it came to her, why was she sneaking when she had 'permission' to be up there? Getting more confidence, she approached the bed and quickly she got an eyeful of a naked Uchiha laying in bed with not much of the sheets covering him up. What she saw pleasantly surprised her, the muscles groups on the male body in rest were normal to her in her studies as a medic, but he was elegant in his own way, and powerful as those muscles had definite definition.

Trailing her eyes more south, she had to put her hand to her nose and mouth to stifle a gasp. Apple green eyes couldn't look away, it truly was a sight to behold. The male appendage with its morning -glory, "oh my gaaawwd..."was all Sakura can say while she gained the strength to avoid oogling.

"Hnn..." said the sleepy male.

The Pinkette inhaled sharply and went stiff and very still.

"Hmm...Sa-ku-ra..." his naked hips wiggled and she blushed profusely. WHY was he saying her name, he still had his eyes closed right? Could he be dreaming about her? With a happy stiffy as well, this was all different kinds of wrong to her. His arm moved and flopped near by, brushed the back of her hand before she knew it, his hand grasped her smaller one and pulled her into the bed.

Yelping, Sakura flailed around after landing on top of him, she struggled some more in desperation but he had rolled over on top of her. Much to Sakura's horror and pleasure, her legs were cradling his grinding hips, making it prime position to feel the heat, stiffness and friction of his movements. His hot breath by her ear, and the small moans distracted her and she felt herself easing into his motions with a guilty little blush. Letting out a hot sigh, she closed her eyes and allowed it to go on for a minute before she got a better grip of herself and her hormones.

Pushing the recovering man off of her, the flustered faced figure skater slapped his cheek and rolled out from under him. He gave a pained moan and rubbed his face into the soft pillow. The dark haired man rose his eyes and slowly opened his eyes to only squint them. "What?" The sleepy headed young man rubbed his eyes, his hair then slowly sat up. Giving a little jump when he saw the girl glaring down at him.

"You are so lucky I don't hit injured people to hard..." It wasn't in her nature.

"What are you doing here?" The Uchiha glared, not really caring if he was still naked and at 'full staff'

"Get dressed will you!" She whirled around and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You should be aware this is my room and I sleep naked when I feel like it." In response she pointed to the closet in perfect veiw of her.

"I'll be downstairs." The female grumbled and stomped down the steps, still fighting the blush and the arousal she was feeling. She couldn't believe she was weak to allow what happen...happen. She sat herself down on the leather couch in front of the tv with many game systems and a purple game boy color. The gameboy caught her attention and she turned it on to be pleasantly surprised that pokemon chimed in.

Minutes later Sasuke came down the stairs, fully dressed this time. "Ok, I'm dressed. Now tell me why you are here, Sakura?" he leaned over and pulled the gameboy out of her hands and turned it off.

"How nice of you, you interrogate the person who saves your life." the Stubborn Sakura said.

"...why were you in my room."

She sighed and gave in. "Your mother told me to wake you up for dinner..."

"I assume she invited you to dinner than." The woman shrugged but nodded. "you can say that." with her blush still on her cheeks, she turned to face him. "She was being polite and wanted to thank me."

The female medical student looked over at the orange bottles she assumed was his medication and welcomed herself to view them, she wondered if she can recognize the drugs. "Tonight... I suggest you don't eat much acidy things with this prescription...you will regret it when you feel your stomach bloated and your bowels-" She said while holding up one bottle. Sasuke yanked it out of her hand.

"For fuck's sake, your just as bad as Naruto. Anyone tell you to mind peoples property?"

She had an amused look on her face. "I see you got some obsessive compulsive behavior... anyone tell you that." She smirked while getting him flustered, she liked it when the tables were turned.

"You're actually worse!" he took her by the arm and took her to the door of his private loft in the house. "You seem to have a brain..." perhaps a lethal combination to any Sasuke Uchiha species!

Sakura stammered by the unexpected complement masked in a insult and quickly found herself on the other side of the door in the hallway. She knocked on the door again.

" What?"

"Don't forget about dinner, your mother is expecting you." She sighed and turned around, retracing her steps back to the main part of the mansion. She quickly found Itachi in a reading room talking to a man equal to his age with short black hair in a messy up-do.

"Is this why you left the Uchiha, Itachi?"

" Shishui, keep quiet." Murrmurrs followed. "From the inside and out..." "So why can't you help me?"

"I'll try, man... just... watch yourself."

Sakura snuck her way around the corner before she was caught and out of ear shot. Finding the front door, she was about to leave this crazy house, full of even crazier secret talk. Mikoto quickly found her and made Sakura scream in surprise. This startled Mikoto but she brushed it off.

"Oh Sakura, there you are, why aren't you with Sasuke? Is he up?" Sakura looked a bit dazed by the bombardment of questions but she nodded. "he is getting ready... " She hoped he was.

"Good, good. I got pizza ordered, its on the dinner table." Before she knew it, Sakura was found at the family dinning table with a plate with pizza on it. It looked weird seeing take out pizza on such fancy plates but Mikoto smiled a charming smile. "What to make for dinner completely slipped my mind, Pizza was a last minute choice."

Sakura nodded understandingly.

Itachi and the young man he was talking to earlier arrived and grabbed a seat.

"Good to see you are back with your friend, Itachi. Hello Shishui."

"Hey Mikoto." Shishui smiled a big bold smiled and waved to Sakura. "I'm Shishui Uchiha...and who are you, beautiful?"

" Um... I am Sakura-..."

"Haruno! Ha! I thought I knew who you are. I'm a fan." Itachi gave his best friend a strange look.

"Knowing how perverted you are I don't think Sakura can take that as a complement." Said Itachi with a sigh and an apologetic look to Sakura's direction.

"Shut up Itachi!" The two men had a mini-sissy slap fight. This befuddled Sakura a bit. It seemed the two friends were enjoying the interaction though as eventually the fists were flying in friendly fashion.

"Oh Sasuke!" Came the mothers voice and she was hugging the youngest son who quickly returned it for the mothers sake and joined the table. "I invited Sakura to dinner tonight." His eyes were dark, cold and calculating as he watched her blush and pretend to be interested in her pizza.

Shishui was avidly making chit chat with Sakura, she was pleased to hear that he really was a fan of hers, explaining to her how he felt her score in the last competition should have been much higher, and that her main competitor, Sorin, has a weakness in her speed. Sakura had to agree.

Sasuke sent glares across the table to his brothers friend who was chatting with Sakura a bit to much for his liking.

"Best dinner ever – with a beautiful guest and order out pizza...Shishui approved Mrs. Uchiha."

Mikoto smirked to him and spoke "It is nice having a girl at the table. I always wanted a daughter..." She went a bit silent then swallowed dryly. "So I hoped one day one of my boys would bring a girl over for dinner." Her eyes looked to both her sons.

"Well that is not going to happen because Sasuke is a man whore and Itachi likes dic- OW." Shihui was interupted as a barily composed Itachi pulled a fork covered in blood out onto the table and excused himself. Mikoto looked lost and blinked her lashes rapidly, making attempts to brace herself with fruitless results and she passed out in her chair.

Sasuke bolted from the table, the news was a little shocking to him. It wasn't like Sasuke was prejudice to people of that lifestyle, but he never would have thought that his perfect brother was like that. In the very strict, staunch clan life of the Uchiha, such things were not accepted, it was a flaw to them. This explained everything now!

Sasuke walked off, storming for the office in the house, it was now his office as his fathers heir.

Sakura looked shocked, awed and stumped on what to do as everything was very awkward to her. "Uhm... Shishui, Lay her down and put smelling salts under her nose and she will be okay, it should wake her up quickly." Sakura was in doctor mode and she slowly stood up. "I must get going home." She thought this family was crazy, or... it was just circumstance.

"What the fuck? I'm injured to!" Shishui flailed his arm at Sakuras back, she wasn't coming back to quickly and a growing red splotch was seen in his thigh. He sighed and took care for the Uchiha Matriarch through the pain with discomforting grunts. Upon hearing Shishui, Sakura knew she couldn't just leave when someone was in pain. Now at his side when he settled Mikoto down, Sakura blushed when he pulled his pants up to his thigh and showed the fork stab wound.

"Looks like it hurt a lot..." She said as she dabbed alcohol on the wound which made him hiss in pain. "Sorry..." she smiled to him and started to wrap his leg up.

"It's fine... not everyday a beautiful woman dresses my wounds... can my booboo get a kiss?" this earned a slap to the face and a huff from Sakura. He laughed it off. "Worth a try."

Sasuke paced around the office that was his now. He couldn't stand his family sometimes. If only he had a place of his own outside this manor where he can work at the plex and not have to drive ever again! Not wanting to admit he now had an irrational fear, he tried to wager himself: He had a nice set up here with his mother, but he was a legal adult now. Sitting in the large executive chair he noticed that he had a voice mail on the phone. Grabbing the message, he wrote down the date: A new emergency Uchiha meeting was scheduled "Fuck..." Emergency meetings never happened, Something was amiss and it didn't spell good for the newly appointed head of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke Uchiha.

Gripping his hair near the roots, he shouted out, voice bounced in the lonely room. Stress and the implications, the dooming fear he felt was compounding and he had to let it out with more shouts, curses and damning words to certain individuals that made his life difficult.

Standing up, he ripped out the drawers in the desks, flung them across the room the best he could with his injuries, the wood would crash and break by the force and this repeated till he ran out of drawers. Calling in for empty boxes to a maid walking outside the office, she hurriedly got some boxes out and the young Uchiha started to pile in important files, documents, and supplies into them.

Pulling out his cell phone, he called his office at the ice rink, by now the place would be closed for the night but it got him in to his secretaries line and brought him directly to voice mail. "Temari, It is Sasuke. Have the storage room on the top floor cleared out. I'm moving in."

END OF CHAPTER 5

PREVIEW OF 6

_Sakura sat next to the emotionally disturbed man on the grass, back against the fence that outlined the cemetery. He cupped his face in his hands, her hand wrapped around his shoulders and she pulled him to her side; his shaking could be felt. "Sasuke, I know this seems irrelevant to you, but I pretend you are watching me compete out on the ice, and with pretending you are watching me, I have an extra hop in my jumps, an extra spark in my fire... " She forcefully pulled his hands from his face and leaned over so she was in his eye sight. "you inspire me..." A cute pink blush burned on her cheek._

_Sasuke stared back at her. "Why, Sakura?" _

_"Because... I think I am in love with you." She looked down now, fearing the ridicule he probably was about to dish out... she knew she was not the only one who professed love to the young heartthrob of the speed skating world. "...your flaws are the most attractive."_

_"Sakura, I think you're insane." She couldn't protest, his lips were upon hers before she knew it and the raw emotion could be felt as they clutched to each other and deepened their interlocking kiss. Pent up frustration, confusion and stress retreated like an ebbing tide, it was replaced with warmth, confidence, and a dash of inspiration of his own with the woman in his arms._

uugh, this has to be the most painful chapter I had to write. I think it is a bit of a filler too. Sorry for the wait everyone! Plus coming back with a shittier than usual chapter... I sort of expect flames for this. ..

I promise it will get better for everyone.

NEXT CHAPTER: is the Funeral and Sasuke's tactless ways of asking a girl out on a date. Should be funny :D


End file.
